There’s a certain amount of dread accompanying a New Year’s Eve party. This is not your usual cheeseball and taco salad beer-a-thon. We save the year’s most formal party for last.

There are cocktails, and real appetizers, defined as bite-sized morsels of delicious somethings you don’t have to dip or spread. They are the miracles of micro food engineering.

The prep work on the appetizer buffet can be a killer. That is, unless your name is Michael Salomne. My second job in the Army was to work for him in the Fortress Monroe officers’ club. New Year’s was a formal dance with orchestra, two bars and a 50-foot table of appetizers. Mike was my boss, the chef of hors d’oeuvres. Our guests numbered 200.

Mike’s appetizer notions were simple — contrasting flavors concentrated into never more than two bites. And he had to be realistic. Some of those fancy phyllo-sausage-cheese rollups could take all afternoon by themselves. Time never was on our side.

I stole his recipe list. It recently resurfaced in a pile of dusty newspaper clippings in our attic. I’m passing six of them on in time to take the dread out of your big party. None of these takes more than a few minutes and minimum skills to accomplish.

Mike’s recipes make 50 pieces each. You can easily cut them with no harm to the results.

SPINACH BALLS

2 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed

10 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup regular mayonnaise

1/2 cup Parmigano-Reggiano shredded cheese

1/4 cup provolone cheese, fine cubed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, diced, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, optional

Chop the spinach in a food processor and squeeze in paper towels to remove water. Combine with remaining ingredients. Use an oiled melon baller to make 50 balls on rimmed, oiled, cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees to set cheese. Serve with toothpicks.

CHEESE STEAK BRUSCHETTA

24 ounces beef tenderloin, no visible fat

2 tablespoons, olive oil

10 ounces whipped cream cheese

1/2 cup smoked cheddar cheese, grated

1 tablespoon horseradish

2 French bread baguettes, sliced on angle

Make these ahead and bake at the last moment.

Slice tenderloin very thin and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil and fry slices in batches so none overlap. Cook for a few seconds on each side until just browned. Transfer to a bowl.

Combine cheeses and horseradish. Top baguette slices with beef folded to fit, then the cheese mixture. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees or until the cheese melts. Serve with garnish of chopped, pickled jalapeno peppers on the side.

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CHERRY CUCUMBERS

8 English (thin) cucumbers

50 cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

12 ounces Greek yogurt

6 ounces soft cheese (Neufchatel)

1/2 cup feta or goat cheese, crumbles

Fresh parsley, chopped

Chill and slice cucumbers with alternating strips of peel. Cut into 1-inch rounds. Combine yogurt, soft cheese and feta. Place a dollop of cheese mixture on each cucumber slice and top with cherry tomato half and parsley. Serve with toothpicks.